A touch panel, generally, is an electronic sensing device for detecting the presence and location of a touch signal. The term may generally refer to touching the touch panel with a finger, hand or stylus. Touch panels are common in devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers and other electronic devices.
A touch screen generally refers to a touch panel combined with an electronic visual display. A touch screen enables a user to interact directly with what is displayed rather than indirectly with a cursor controlled by a mouse, for example.